HORROR NEWS: KILLER SHORTS, STEVE DINES, AND A.C. WISE ARE SHOCKADELICA BABY!!

22/5/2021

WENDY, DARLING by A.C. WISE

“You need not be sorry for her. She was one of the kinds that like to grow up. In the end, she grew up of her own free will a day quicker than the other girls.”

For those that lived there, Neverland was a children’s paradise. No rules, no adults, only endless adventure and enchanted forests – all led by the charismatic boy who would never grow old.

But Wendy Darling grew up. She has a husband and a young daughter called Jane, a life in London. But one night, after all these years, Peter Pan returns. Wendy finds him outside her daughter’s window, looking to claim a new mother for his Lost Boys. But instead of Wendy, he takes Jane.

Now a grown woman, a mother, a patient and a survivor, Wendy must follow Peter back to Neverland to rescue her daughter and finally face the darkness at the heart of the island...

A lush and vividly imagined continuation of the story of Peter Pan that places Wendy at the heart of the story as the childhood dream of Neverland unravels into a nightmare that will delight fans of Circe and The Mere Wife. Wendy, Darling is a richly textured and powerful story of women’s resilience and strength that feels deeply relevant for our times.

A.C. Wise is a writer of speculative fiction and her work has appeared in various publications, including Uncanny, Tor.com, Shimmer, and several Year's Best anthologies. "Catfish Lullaby" was nominated for the 2020 Nebula Award for Best Novella, and "How the Trick Is Done" was nominated for the 2020 Nebula Award for Best Short Story. She tweets at @ac_wise.

Alessandra Jara Del Castillo wins Killer Shorts Horror Short Screenplay Competition

Alessandra Jara Del Castillo has won the 2nd Annual Killer Shorts Horror Short Screenplay Competition.

The contest, now in its second year, awarded Alessandra as the overall winner out of 952 entries for her horror short screenplay, THIS HUNGER. Alessandra Jara Del Castillo’s script follows ‘an indifferent Hispanic housewife who grows infatuated with her husband—only after he returns from the dead, hungry for meat.” It’s a subtle story about the death, rebirth, and re-death of a marriage that works as both a zombie body horror and a compelling drama.

The Killer Short Contest celebrates horror short screenwriters from around the world, connecting them with managers, producers, and filmmakers. Season 1 third place winner, Chris Hicks, signed with a manager after the contest inspired him to adapt his viral short story THE BUTTER STREET HITCHHIKER, and increased his exposure to industry members on the screenplay submission platform, Coverfly.

COPY CAT by Vanessa Branch has been selected as the 2nd Place Winner and HIDE YOUR CRAZY by Austin Kase has been selected as the 3rd Place Winner.

Killer Shorts partners with female-led film groups to provide heavy discounts for submissions to their female-identifying and non-binary writers. With this discount, the contest saw an increase, from 1 last year, to 4 womxn placing in the Top 10 in Season 2.

“This year we focused on providing even more opportunities for women and POC,” says contest director Alison Parker, “Not only did we end up with two women of color in the Top 3, but I was excited to learn that Alessandra entered the contest because of the discount we provided.”

The Killer Shorts’ jury included: Julian Terry (Whisper, They Hear It, The Nurse), Chelsea Lupkin (Short of the Week, Lucy’s Tale), Barbara Crampton (Re-Animator, From Beyond, You’re Next), Joe Bob Briggs (The Last Drive-In with Joe Bob Briggs), Scott Stoops (Good Fear Film + Management), Glenn Cockburn (Meridian Artists), Sophie Carroll (ALTER), Scott Carr (Management SGC), Jason Tamasco (Bad Idea Films), John Zaozirny (Bellevue Productions), Zack Zucker (Bellevue Productions), Matthew Dartnell (Writ Large), Krista Sipp (First Friday Entertainment), and Jenn Wexler (The Ranger).

As a part of the prize package, the Top 3 winners receive circulation and recommendation to a network of Hollywood managers, agents, producers, and development executives, Final Draft 12 screenwriting software, Shudder subscriptions, waived entry to multiple other contests and festivals, increased rank on Coverfly’s The Red List, and swag from sponsors like Creepy Co and Rue Morgue. The third place winner receives coverage notes from The Script Butcher.

The newest addition to the list of prizes is a one-of-a-kind skull-shaped typewriter trophy, hand-sculpted and designed by Tyler Green of Tyler Green FX Studios (SyFy’s FACE/OFF).

“As always, we are looking for original short screenplays with captivating stories and unique voices in the horror genre. The amount of raw talent out there is staggering and we can’t wait to read next year’s scripts” said Parker.

Next year’s competition will reconvene with submissions opening on June 1, 2021 and closing on Dec 17th. The worldwide contest is open to anyone over 18 years old and accepts screenplays up to a maximum of 25 pages.

For more information visit: KillerShortsContest.com

Look Where You Are Going, Not Where You Have Been by Steven J Dines(release date 21 September) The Harvester Series #9

The past is never far behind. If we do not leave it, if we insist on carrying it with us to the end...that end is a monster.

This stunning debut collection of dark, literary fiction drowns the reader in its themes of grief, regret, love, and hope.

A family is torn apart by tragedy and misadventure, their future creaking under the weight of judgment. Old men play at being ghosts while a young boy sees real ones wherever he turns. A wandering immortal desperately seeks an end to his pain. Intimate, unflinching, and poignant, these eleven tales of the broken and the unmade include the two previously unpublished novellas, dragonland and This House is Not Haunted.

Steven J Dines' dark literary fiction has been published in numerous magazines and anthologies, including Black Static (nine times), Interzone, Crimewave, Fireside Magazine, Terror Tales of the Home Counties, and Best British Horror. Originally from Aberdeen, Scotland, he currently lives south of the border, in Salisbury, with his wife and two sons.

Look Where You Are Going Not Where You Have Been is a stunning debut collection of dark literary fiction exploring grief, regret, and hope. A family is torn apart by tragedy and misadventure, their future creaking under the weight of judgment. Old men play at being ghosts while a young boy sees real ones wherever he turns. A wandering immortal desperately seeks an end to his pain. Intimate, unflinching, and poignant, these eleven tales of the broken and the unmade include the two previously unpublished novellas, dragonland and This House is Not Haunted.

Look Where You Are Going Not Where You Have Been will be Harvester #9, following Paul Kane, Marie O'Regan, Stephen Bacon, Wole Talabi, Tim Major, Ian Whates, Nick Wood and Fabio Fernandes. You can find their books on the Harvester page of the store.

SHOCKADELICA BY JON O’BERGH

Two horror podcasters—drag artist Kendall Akande and best friend Jenna Chen—share a passion for art, fashion, and horror. When they learn their Toronto apartment building might be haunted, they see an opportunity for a podcast episode. But as they investigate further with the help of their quirky neighbors, they uncover something far more sinister. Their quest brings them face to face with a house of curiosities, a Nigerian/Irish witch, an intimidating musician known as the Bone Man with tattoos of serial killers, and strange legends from various cultures. Then a stranger appears who promises protection if Kendall sacrifices something of value. While Kendall struggles to understand his recurring nightmare and the demands of the stranger, Jenna struggles to cope with her grandmother’s dementia. As the ghosts of the past become entwined with the growing terror, Kendall and Jenna must use their creativity to confront the evil force that threatens them all.

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Shockadelica-Jon-OBergh/dp/1098372417/ref=tmm_pap_title_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1619367428&sr=1-1
Sound Cloud (for album Box of Bones): https://soundcloud.com/the_bone_man/sets/box-of-bones

Bio:
Jon O’Bergh is an author and musician who appreciates a good scare. He received a Bachelor of Arts in Music from the University of California at Irvine. A fan of ghost stories and horror movies, O’Bergh came up with the idea for his first novel, The Shatter Point, after watching a documentary about extreme haunts. He has published five books and released over a dozen albums in a variety of styles. His supernatural short stories have appeared in anthologies and magazines. After many years living in San Francisco and Washington, D.C., he now resides with his husband in Toronto.

Links:
O'Bergh website: https://obergh.net
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/JonOBergh
Twitter: @jon_obergh
The Bone Man: https://theboneman.hearnow.com

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